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- Alfonso I, b. c.1109, d. 1185, was the first king of !PORTUGAL!Portugal~.
- The son of Henry of Burgundy (d. 1112), count of Portugal, and
- of Teresa, illegitimate daughter of Alfonso VI of Castile,
- Alfonso seized control of !PORTUGAL!Portugal~ from his mother in 1128. He
- resisted the domination of the neighboring Spanish kingdoms and
- attacked the Muslim lands south of !COIMBRA!Coimbra~ with the help of
- foreign crusaders. He conquered Santarem and !LISBON!Lisbon~ in 1147 and
- Evora in 1165. Though Alfonso had claimed the title of king for
- 40 years, the papacy did not officially recognize him until
- 1179. By the time he died, he had firmly established the
- independence of !PORTUGAL!Portugal~.
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